You Could Be Happy
by halfadash
Summary: PostFinale, Rory's seemingly perfect career path has begun to falter, and her love life is at a complete standstill. Maybe it's because she shouldn't have let him get away. Rogan.
1. Promoting Abstinance

"Nope. Not gonna happen," said Rory. There was no way she was going to be pulled into another ridiculous double blind date. "It's like a bad psychology experiment."

"What? He's not going to be showing you ink blots, you know. At least, I'm pretty sure he's not." Lane was starting to get desperate. It had been seven months since Rory said no to Logan. Two months since she had kissed a guy, four months since her online reporter job had gone down the drain, and seven months since she had really smiled. That last one could be traced directly to her graduation day.

"No, you want me to go on a double blind date, and a double blind is when the people who are being experimented on don't know what's going on, and that kind of fits too, because I sure as hell don't know what's going on in my life, and..." Rory started to explain, but Lane looked as though she had swallowed an entire pack of Sour Patch Kids.

"No. You are not getting out of this by semantics. Besides, it isn't completely a double blind date. I _am_ married to Zack, you know. And I've actually met the friend we're setting you up with this time. This one's vocabulary is completely acceptable," Lane countered. She wasn't letting Rory skip out on this date. Admittedly, the last one had been a bit disastorous, but she had learned the important lesson of meeting Zack's acquaintances herself before subjecting Rory to them.

"You promise? This one knows what a thesaurus is? He's graduated high school, passed his road test, and can converse about something other than his 'awesome guitar'?" Rory questioned.

"Have the tiniest bit of faith, Gilmore. Do I need Mrs. Kim to go over the Bible with you again? I bet you're a bit rusty on your Corinthians..." Lane teased.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wanna bet?"

"Fine, I'll go. Be sure to let this guy know that it only took minimal blackmailing for me to go out with him."

"I'll be sure to get the message to him."

Lane acted nonchalant about Rory's acceptance, but she was really overjoyed. She knew that this new guy certainly wasn't Rory's soulmate, but he was probably worth a couple months of distraction. He'd make a good rebound for her, seeing as Rory obviously wasn't over Logan, even though she'd never admit that. The thing was, Lane wasn't even sure if Rory wanted to be over Logan, but she took it up as her responsibility to make it possible for Rory to move on.

"Hey Lane?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for making me do this."

"That's what I'm here for. Making sure you date and promoting abstinance till marriage. Of course, I'm pretty sure you're a lost cause on that last one."

* * *

Reviews are greatly appreciated, let me know if this is something that you'd be interested in reading. I know that this is really short, it was just to get the ball rolling and to test out how all this works, I've never posted anything before...so yeah, let me know what you think. 


	2. Bing Bam Boom

Rory inhaled deeply.

And then exhaled.

She only had about 6 minutes before Lane was supposed to pick her up for her blind date. Meanwhile, Zack would be picking up her date and they would all meet at the restaurant. Rory had dressed casually, wearing a simple black skirt with a light blue blouse. She knew that she could have pulled together a much nicer outfit, but her heart just wasn't in it.

With 4 minutes to go, Rory paced nervously in front of her door. Her new door, really. Rory had soon discovered that a job on the road was not for her. She needed more stability, a known bed to sleep in at night. And so, only four months after starting her job on the campaign trail, Rory relocated herself to New Haven, where she worked as a fact-checker at a local paper. Rory was unhappy with her current position, but also realized that she needed to start from the bottom. Still, she often mentally kicked herself for not accepting the internship she was offered before her Yale graduation so long ago...

_Beep Beep._

Rory jumped slightly at hearing the sound of Lane pressing the buzzer.

"You know Lane, I meant to call you, I don't think I'm feeling very well...," Rory attempted to lie through the intercom.

"Lying is one of the seven deadly sins, Ror, so get down here before I call your office and offer up some stories of your youth."

"Y'know, I don't think that blackmail is much better than lying...," countered Rory.

"Just get down here."

Rory sighed and made her way downstairs. Her new apartment, though a grand step up from the apartment she shared with Paris while attending college, was still rather old and did not have an elevator. So much for Gilmore Girls not exercising.

"Well, let's get going then. Sooner we start this dinner, the sooner I get to leave."

Lane closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This still wasn't her childhood best friend. Since when was Rory so pessimistic, so cynical? _Oh yeah, since she said no to Logan._ Quitting her job certainly hadn't helped her disposition either. Lane stopped walking and pulled Rory to face her.

"Look, Rory, I know that it seems like life sucks right now. You don't have your dream job, you don't have your dream apartment, you don't have your dream guy, and you don't have your dream life. But sulking and refusing to have a good time is not going to make anything better. So please, for one night, open up to someone new. Colin is a really nice guy, ok? I know that he isn't Logan," Rory's eyes closed at this point, "but I think you could have fun with him. I know this all sounds pretty harsh, and you're not used to that from me...but my subtle comments seem to be lost on you these days."

Lane looked up at Rory, hoping that she hadn't hurt her feelings. Even so, she wasn't sorry for anything that she said. Rory needed something to snap her back into reality.

"You're right Lane. I'm sorry I've been so out of it. It must not have been easy to be friends with me recently. Forgive me?" Rory held up her pinky finger as a peace offering to seal the deal.

Lane grinned, and curled her own pinky around Rory's. They shook their hands up and down once, and then broke into a fit of giggles. Feeling like some of the tension from the past few months had dissipated, Rory and Lane walked arm in arm to the restaurant.

* * *

As Rory and Lane entered the crowded restaurant, they began to scan the room looking for the rest of their party. 

"Oh, there they are. Zack's hair is entirely too easy to pick out of a crowd...it looks as though he's the only one who hasn't combed his hair in a week." Lane lamented.

Rory giggled slightly, and realized for a moment just how jealous she was of Lane. She certainly wasn't harboring any feelings for Zack, but he and Lane fit so well. She longed to have someone whose head she could easily discern from a crowd. Logan's blond head floated into her mind, but she quickly pushed it out.

Rory followed Lane as she weaved in and out of the people at the restaurant. It was actually closer to being a club, but a very upscale one. There was live music playing in a corner, but instead of rickety tables and booze-laden floors that would normally occupy a club that would house such a band, there were linen cloths adorning some pretty sturdy looking tables resting on spotless floors. Rory was surprised at the mix of elements, but she found it to be a pretty cool place all the same.

"Zack! Scoot over, make room for me and Rory."

At the sound of his date's name, the man accompanying Zack looked up, and immediately dropped his jaw. Rory looked back, equally stunned, but Lane didn't seem to notice while she busied herself with taking off her coat.

"Well, Colin, this is my best friend Rory. Rory, meet Colin McCrea."

* * *

Rory quickly excused herself and ran to the bathroom. What on earth was going on here? Colin, her ex-boyfriend/almost-fiance's best friend, was her blind date? How could he possibly know Zack? More importantly, how could the universe hate her so much to do this to her? Rory physically pinched herself, assuming this must be a nightmare. When she didn't immediately wake up in her own bed, she continually pinched her arm, refusing to stop until she got her desired result. 

Lane opened the bathroom door to find Rory poking and prodding her arm with a crazed look in her eyes.

"Rory? This is really frightening. Please stop pinching yourself."

Rory looked up with tears in her eyes. This just couldn't be happening. How was she supposed to spend the night making small talk with the best friend of the man who broke her heart? Or, in his eyes, whose heart she broke?

"Rory, what's wrong? Come on, I promise, he's a very nice guy. Zack met him a ton of years ago at some concert, and I didn't want to tell you this, but he's actually in with your grandparent's crowd, he's got a ton of money, and is actually considering putting up some cash to finance a record deal for the band..." Lane was starting to ramble, desperate for Rory to give this guy a chance.

"Well, you'd be pretty lucky if he did decide to do that, Colin isn't one to spend his money very frivolously, he must be very into your band if he is considering doing that. It actually surprises me that he listens to your music, or was ever at a concert that Zack attended...Colin prefers his music a little more subdued and classical...but I guess I didn't know him as well as I thought I did."

Rory's voice cracked over her last phrase, and Lane knew she wasn't just talking about Colin. Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

"Oh my god. This is **the** Colin. Colin, as in Colin and Finn. I can't believe it, I never would have imagined it could be the same...Rory, I am so sorry." Lane felt absolutely horrible. This entire evening was about helping Rory move on, and instead she brought in one of the biggest possible reminders of Rory's past without making her talk to Logan himself.

"Don't beat yourself up Lane, how could you have possibly known?" Rory held her head in her hands. "What should I do? Should I go talk to him? Or should I just try to get the hell out of here as fast as I can?"

"I don't know, Ror. Do you have any desire to talk to him?"

Rory thought for a moment, making a tiny mental pro/con list.

"I actually think that could be nice. I don't have any grudges against Colin, I'm more afraid of what he thinks of me."

"Ok, this is what we're going to do. I'll go out there and ask him how he feels. If he's ok, then we'll continue the evening for as long as it's not too uncomfortable. Deal?"

Rory nodded slowly, and Lane steeled herself for what was bound to be an awkward conversation. _That's what best friends are for._

* * *

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck._

The expletive repeated itself in Colin's head so many times that it stopped sounding like a word.

"Dude, what just happened?" Zack, as usual, was the slowest on the uptake.

Colin sighed. _Where to begin?_

"Rory and I know each other."

"Well, that much I figured. Were you guys like...you know?"

Colin sputtered in response.

"What? No, of course not. Logan would have killed me, I wasn't even allowed to call her Ace, much less even look at her in any way that would suggest we were more than friends."

Zack's eyes widened. He may not be very into Lane's gossip about Rory's life, but he did listen enough to know the important things, which would include Rory's rejection to a wedding proposal made by Logan.

"You know Logan? Rory's ex-boyfriend Logan?"

"He's my best friend."

Zack slumped back in his seat.

"Holy shit, man. This is one hell of a night."

Colin downed the rest of his drink as Lane approached the table.

"Well, Rory filled me in, I'm guessing we all now know the absurdity that is this evening."

Colin and Zack nodded meekly in response.

"Ok then. Rory says that she would be ok with talking with you Colin, if it's alright with you. Do you want to salvage this, or just end it before it gets any worse?"

Colin thought about this. Under different circumstances, it would be great to run into Rory and catch up. She may have been Logan's girlfriend, but that didn't mean that Colin didn't care about her well-being. He genuinely wanted to know how she was doing.

"Yeah, it would be good to catch up."

* * *

A few drinks later, most of the awkwardness at the table had died down, and Rory and Colin were able to recount their lives to each other without mentioning Logan. As the band in the corner started up with another song, Lane dragged Zach out to the dance area. 

"I miss that," Rory mentioned wistfully.

Colin quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Miss what?"

"Having someone to dance with."

"What am I, an invalid?" Colin joked, trying to steer the conversation away from it's inevitable topic.

Rory smiled slightly. She didn't know whether she just needed to open up to someone, or if the drinks she had consumed were making her extra chatty.

"You know what I mean. And I don't want just _somone_ to dance with. I want him." Rory's voice dropped to a whispher. "How is he?"

Colin looked away. He really did like Rory, but couldn't quite forgive her for breaking up with Logan. In his opinion, she didn't get to ask how he was doing. Rory stopped being privy to that information the moment she crushed him.

Colin fought to keep his voice indifferent, but couldn't quite manage it.

"He's himself. He's...coping. He'll be fine" was Colin's curt answer.

Rory's alcohol induced state kept her from noticing the slight malice in Colin's response. She sighed happily.

"Good. I want him to be fine. Of course, what I really want is him to be fine with me, but he just turns around and walks away, bing bam boom, gone forever..." Rory was almost talking to herself now, and took another swallow of her martini.

Colin looked incredulous. Rory made it sound as though he was the one who left her. He knew he was walking a dangerous path, but couldn't resist.

"Rory, he proposed. You could have been with him, engaged to him, married to him right now.You said no, you ended this." Colin stated this slowly and factually, in a way which he hoped didn't sound accusing.

Rory's head snapped up at this. Her eyes, cloudy only moments ago, quickly sobered and then filled with fire as rage consumed her.

"What??? I said no to marriage, not no to Logan. I said I wasn't ready to put a ring on my finger and become a Huntzberger when I had hardly had time between college and real life to be myself. I wanted to make something of myself and know that when I got my first job, it was because of me and not the name on my Drivers License. But never did I want to do it alone. I wanted to do it with him standing next to me, with us going home together at the end of each day. He's the one who made it all or nothing. He's the one who said marriage or nil. Logan walked away when I wasn't ready. He walked away. He turned around and left. He-"

Rory was cut off by the return of Lane pulling her out of the booth.

"Here, Zack, take Rory outside. I'll be there in a minute."

Zack put his arm around Rory's waist and began to lead her outside, Lane could hear that she had started her rant again. She turned to Colin.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you two alone, I just thought that things had been going pretty well, anyway, I'd better get going...Sorry." Lane rushed herself out the door and after her husband.

Colin slumped back in his chair for the second time that night. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. _Logan left Rory?_

* * *

**Ok, there's chapter 2. It only took me what, 2 months? I also realized that I never put any kind of disclaimer in here, so, **

**I don't own anything.**

**reviews are greatly appreciated, any criticisms would be appreciated ten-fold.**


	3. If You Feel So Obliged

Rory lifted her head from her pillow, and then immediately let it drop back down. As she slowly opened her eyes, she realized that the pounding in her head could be attributed to the many drinks she had consumed the night before, both at the restaurant and after she got home.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ Rory couldn't understand her actions, this wasn't her. She didn't get drunk when she was depressed or to avoid problems--she confronted them, and worked to overcome them. _So why can't I fix how I feel about Logan?_

Slowly, Rory sat up and groped around on her nightstand, feeling for the aspirin and water that she was sure Lane would have put out for her. As she tilted back her head and swallowed, she tried to focus on exactly what made her get so drunk last night. She began to recap her night; Lane picked her up, they arrived at the restaurant, Colin was her blind date...

Crap. Colin. Colin McCrae was her blind date. Rory groaned and laid back down. Try as she did, she couldn't remember the exact conversation that made her continue her drinking binge once she got home--but she'd bet all of her Hello Kitty paraphernalia that it involved Logan.

Crap. Colin. Logan.

Rory groaned once more, and reached over for her phone.

"Hey, Lane? Yeah, I'm ok, thanks for the aspirin, anyway...I need Colin's number."

* * *

Colin paced nervously in his living room. He had no idea what to do, should he tell Logan of his encounter with Rory? Should he confront him about being the one who left the relationship? Or should he just let it be, and leave their relationship completely up to them? 

The ringing of Colin's phone interrupted his internal debate.

"McCrae."

"Woah, that was terse, um, I mean hi, hi Colin, it's Rory."

"Oh, Rory, hey."

"Yeah, hey."

"So...you called?"

"Right, right, I just wanted to apologize for last night. I got pretty tipsy, and only worse after I got home, and I don't remember the details of what transpired, but apparently I yelled at you, and I'm sorry. Clearly I still have some resentment issues with, um, your company, and I took it out on the wrong person. I'm really sorry."

Colin remained quiet for a second.

"Well, if what you said last night was true, then I completely understand your resentment. Don't worry about yelling at me, no big deal, you've done it before."

Rory smiled slightly, and Colin could hear her relief when she spoke again.

"Yeah, well, I believe _you_ were generally the drunk one in those days..."

Colin laughed, it was good to be talking with Rory again, particularly a sober one.

"Anyway, I also had a small favor to ask you." Colin was surprised. A favor?

"Uh, sure. Ask away."

"I was wondering...do you think you could not tell Logan about this? I mean, he's your best friend and if you feel like you have to tell him, then I totally understand...but do you think this could stay between us?"

"Well, I'm not going to lie to him if he asks me outright...but I think the chances of him randomly asking whether or not my blind date happened to be with you are extremely slim."

"Oh, Colin, thank you so much, I feel like I should buy you lunch or something."

"Well, if you feel so obliged...how's Saturday?"

Rory mentally smacked herself, she hadn't meant to put herself in a position to see him again, but she couldn't very well back out on an offer she made herself...

"Yeah, Saturday sounds fine."

* * *

When Saturday morning rolled around, Rory pulled herself out of bed and tried to come up with what to wear to a lunch with her ex-boyfriend's best friend. She finally settled on a simple blue sun dress with flip flops--they were only going to a small cafe. She shook her head as she headed into the shower, she would never understand how she got sucked into these things.

Colin, on the other hand, had a lot more on his mind besides his wardrobe. Like how to get Logan to leave so he could go meet Rory.

"Seriously, man, I have to go soon. I have a lunch...thing."

Logan looked up at Colin from the couch.

"You mean a lunch date?"

"No! No, definitely not a date, just a friend. I think." _Does she consider us friends? What do you label a person who made your best friend fall in love, and then let him down? Or maybe he let her down..._

"Man, it sounds like she really has you worked up, maybe you should try to make it a date."

Colin cringed, if Logan had had any idea what he just implied...

"I don't think so. Look, it's just us catching up, I used to kind of hang out with her, we were never dating or anything like that."

"If you say so. Where are you going to lunch, anyway?"

"Just a cafe."

"Alright then, I'll let you go. We still seeing that movie tonight?"

"Yeah, just call me later with a time."

"Sure, see you then." Logan let himself out of Colin's door.

Colin unclenched muscles he hadn't realized that were tensed and let himself breathe again. There was no way he could see Rory after today, it was too hard to keep this from Logan.

* * *

Rory laughed out loud. She always spent time with Colin and Finn when she was dating Logan, but never without Logan there. She had never realized how funny Colin was, or what a great friend he could be for her. She now really understood what Logan saw in him. 

"Well, Rory, this was fun. I thank you graciously for lunch." Colin bowed over his leftover plate of scraps from the bacon cheeseburger and fries that Rory had convinced him to order.

"This was really great Colin. I'm glad we did it. I'll be honest, I had my reservations about this."

"Well, I think we made through it well--no drunken outbursts, no table dancing..."

Rory's eyes widened.

"Table dancing? Oh my god, tell me you're kidding." Colin's laughing face gave him away. "Colin!! Don't even kid around like that. You know me, I'd have a heart attack if I knew I did that."

As their laughing and bantering continued, Logan walked through the door to the cafe. He had been curious about Colin's secret lunch, and wanted to know who this girl could possibly be, so he decided to take a stop in Colin's favorite cafe. As his eyes scanned the room, he noticed Colin's face and began to walk over to his table. The mystery girl had her back to him, and Colin was too involved in conversation to notice Logan approaching.

As he grew nearer, Logan could begin to hear their conversation.

"Look, this was really great, but I don't think we should do it again. It was hard enough for me to get Logan out of my apartment this morning without lying to him...I can't keep on doing it."

Logan's brow furrowed. Who on earth could Colin possibly be taking to lunch that-

"I understand completely. It's a shame, I really liked spending time with you, it would be great for us to-"

Rory's sentence was cut off as Logan pulled Colin out of his seat and connected his fist with Colin's face.

Colin groaned as he held his swelling eye. _Well, at least there was no keeping this from Logan anymore._

* * *

**ok, so i'm completely impatient and couldn't wait to throw Logan into the mix. **

**review please!!! good, bad, ugly, i'll take anything.**


	4. Hide the Weasel

**so in the beginning of this, Rory is going to be having a conversation, and then it jumps back to the café scene as she finishes telling what happened, just so there's no confusion.**

* * *

"Hold on a second. He just waltzes in there and punches Colin?" 

"Well, pretty much."

"Wow, two guys fighting over you...again. Aren't you Miss Popular."

"They weren't fighting over me, Colin didn't even hit him back."

Lorelai grinned.

"Pansy."

"Mom! So not the point." Rory rolled her eyes at her mother, and put some more ketchup on her french fries. After Rory's abysmal lunch with Colin, she called her mother and they decided to "do it up old school" as Lorelai had phrased it and go to Luke's to eat dinner and discuss Rory's life.

"Seriously, though, Logan's a pretty jealous guy," Lorelai pointed out. "First, there was that Robert fiasco years ago. Then the Jess thing, then the Marty thing, and now he punches his own best friend in the face _seven months_ after you guys break up, just because you guys were eating lunch."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that Logan thought it was more than sharing a meal. And besides, Luke punched Dad after he found out you two slept together--essentially the same thing."

"Yeah, well, I'm rubber and you're glue, and whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!" Lorelai smiled triumphantly at her comeback, while Rory just looked confused.

"That doesn't even--"

"Shush, I know. Anyway, back to storytime. What happened next?"

"Well..."

* * *

Rory jumped out of her chair to look at Colin's face. It had happened so quickly that her brain hadn't registered yet that it was Logan who punched Colin. 

"Oh my god, are you ok?"

"Yeah, see if your boyfriend is ok." Logan spat out. Rory froze, her brain seemed to shut down and rendered her incapable of turning around to see the body that accompanied the voice she knew so well.

Colin's brain, thankfully, seemed to be working properly, and he was able to respond to Logan.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not her boyfriend, it was just lunch."

"Oh yeah, a lunch to tell her that '_we can't do this again.' _I guess that means you two are going to have to find other people to screw."

Rory didn't know which emotion to choose--anger, for Logan accusing her and Colin of sleeping together, ashamed, for seeing Colin even though she knew it would hurt Logan, or pure joy at just being in the same room as him. Eventually, the shame won out, and Rory became apologetic as she tried to explain to Logan what was going on.

"Logan, please, let's go talk about this." She could hardly get the words out, he looked so amazing after months of not seeing him, and this was hardly the kind of reunion she had fantasized about as she went to bed each night. "It's not what it looks like--I've never slept with Colin."

Logan, however, was still too enraged to think rationally. Seeing his best friend meeting secretly with his ex-girlfriend was too much to handle, and he began to walk out of the café.

Rory couldn't stand the thought of Logan thinking that she was sleeping with Colin, and rushed to follow him out. Colin stayed long enough to put some money on their table, and then embarrassedly navigated his way between the tables to the exit while the rest of the customers stared at him.

Rory made it outside, and saw Logan walking toward his Porsche.

"Logan, wait! You need to let me explain!" She began running after him, until he abruptly turned around and she was suddenly closer to him than she had been since that fateful day at Yale.

"Explain what Rory?" At this point, Colin had caught up to them, and was there to be castigated along with Rory. "Explain how you two decided it would be ok to start dating? _Oh, it's been a while since Logan and I were together, more than six months now, I'm sure it would be acceptable for Colin and I to start going out._" Logan mimicked.

"Oh, stop it! We were never dating, and if you'd stop being so immature we could tell you why we were having lunch together." Apparently, Rory's initial reaction to be apologetic had started giving way to being angry.

"Oh, lovely, Reporter Girl is joining us for the movie?" Finn asked as he walked up. He had been waiting in Logan's car for over ten minutes, and was starting to get antsy. "You, my dear, look absolutely lovely. Now, why is everybody so tense?"

* * *

"Ok, now I know that you're making this up. The crazy Australian shows up too? That's just insane." interjected Lorelai. 

"Believe me, Mom, you can't just make this stuff up." responded Rory, and then she jumped back into her story.

* * *

Rory was dumbfounded. She was tempted to start pinching herself again, but she was still a little black and blue from the last time and decided against it. 

"No Finn, she's not coming, and Colin uninvited himself when he decided to start seeing Rory behind my back," said Logan.

"Seeing, like as in hanging out, or seeing, like as in playing hide the weasel?" Finn asked in a voice of general curiosity.

Both Rory and Logan opened their mouths to respond but were cut off by Colin.

"Ok, that is it. Everybody else, just shut up while I explain everything, ok?" Colin waited for affirmation. When everyone had nodded their consent, he took a deep breath and continued.

"Last week, I had a blind date. A double blind date, really, the couple setting me up was going to be there as well. My friend Zack and I were sitting in a restaurant, waiting for his wife and her best friend to show up. For some God-forsaken reason, the woman I was being set up with was Rory." Logan opened his mouth to make a comment, but Finn shushed him. Finn always did love being told stories.

"Neither of us had had any idea that we would be seeing each other, and Rory immediately ran off to the bathroom. Eventually, though, she came out, and we decided to have dinner there anyway, with the obvious factor that this was no longer a date, just the four of us hanging out and Rory and I catching up. But, as it turns out, a slightly drunk Rory tends to..." Colin stopped, in search of the proper word.

"Share more than necessary?" prompted Logan, and then immediately looked away, embarrassed that he still remembered such details about her.

"Yes, share more than necessary. She said something about your break-up, which I disagreed with, and then she began yelling at me. Zack and Lane dragged her away, but Rory called me the next morning to apologize for yelling. She offered to take me to lunch to make it up to me, and here we are."

Rory flinched as Colin finished the story. She knew that it was necessary for him to mention that they had argued about Logan, and now she could only pray that neither Logan nor Finn would ask for more details about that argument.

Finn clapped his hands together, while Logan looked...distant.

"Well, that was a fine story. I'd say it explains just about everything, no harm done here. Now what say all of you amigos come join me in seeing that movie?"

As much as she knew she should, Rory couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Finn, you're Australian."

"So?"

"So you just said _amigos_."

"I thought I'd expand my exotic-ness to the European countries."

Rory looked pained, and began to open her mouth to respond but was interrupted.

"Rory, give it up." Colin said, exasperated.

Rory looked over at Logan, realizing that he hadn't said anything since Colin's explanation. He looked so...contemplative, as if something about Colin's story didn't fit.

"Logan? You're not still mad, are you? Really, this past week has just been a maelstrom, full of terrible coincidences."

Logan snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of her voice.

"No, it's just...what got you so worked up that you yelled at Colin?"

Rory reddened, and suddenly the gravity of the situation she was in struck her. She was no longer a college student, hanging around with Colin and Finn, and she had no intent of sharing with Logan just how little she had moved on. How was he able to just stand here and ask her so plainly what had made her upset? Didn't he remember the atrocity that was their break-up? As she thought about everything that had happened in the last week, it was actually pretty pathetic on her part. "Um, you know, that's not really important. I have to go. I'm sorry I made you guys fight...I'll just go. Enjoy your movie."

* * *

"And you just left?" Lorelai was shocked. 

"Well, yeah, I wasn't about to get into an argument with him, especially with Colin and Finn right there."

"And they actually let you leave without pressing you for details?"

"I did kind of run for my car, and besides, they can just find out from Colin anyway." Rory explained.

"Oh. Good point." Lorelai looked at her daughter, she just seemed so depressed by this whole ordeal. "More pie?"

"More pie."

* * *

**against my better judgement, i'm posting this now, even though i know it means that i will get less reviews on chapter three. which means you should step up and to thank me for updating so quickly, review this chapter. tell me what you love, what you hate, tell me something.**

**once again, I own nothing, and would love nothing more than for you to review.**

**so push that purple button.**

**thanks to veronicamars29 for pointing out my yankee blunder, i had a feeling that i was wrong, but it didn't make sense to me that australians would call americans yankees since the war was with england...apparently i should pay more attention in history.**


	5. Pull An OTown

As Logan stood dumbfounded watching Rory run away, he was positive that he had never experienced such a plethora of emotion. At first, he was more enraged than he ever thought he could be when he heard Rory's voice and realized she was eating lunch with Colin, and made the assumption that they were dating. He decided to release some of that rage by punching Colin, but it backfired when Rory immediately asked _Colin_ if he was ok. The idea of her caring for someone else was too much for him to handle, and he left as quickly as he could.

But naturally, Rory was incapable of dropping it, and followed him. _Couldn't she see what this was doing to him?_ As if rejecting his proposal wasn't bad enough, she had to start sleeping with his best friend?

Of course, Logan had felt a little embarrassed as Colin started sharing their story. But something didn't quite click in Colin's explanation--it all sounded believable enough until he mentioned Rory yelling at him. Rory was a chatty drunk, not an angry one, only getting worked up when she felt passionate about something.

Then he was amazed at how relaxed she appeared with all of this. There he was, trying to calm his nerves from the rush of adrenaline that had been pumping through him, and Rory was standing there, looking unbelievable in a blue sundress (no wonder he thought it was more than lunch), arguing with Finn about his use of the word "amigos." Didn't this situation affect her at all? Wasn't she more surprised to see him for the first time in seven months? Her unruffled manner seemed to suggest otherwise, and confirmed the thoughts floating in his head--clearly, Rory was completely over him and probably never cared for him as deeply as he did her, hence why she rejected him back in May.

Then the curiosity seeped back into his mind--just what had they argued about? Rory's voice called him from his thoughts.

"Logan? You're not still mad, are you? Really, this past week has just been a maelstrom, full of terrible coincidences."

Logan decided that he had best ask her what he wanted to know.

"No, it's just that...what got you so worked up that you yelled at Colin?"

Immediately Rory became flustered, as she seemed to realize where she was and who she was talking to. She started to ramble in that cute way of hers, and then she ran off.

As he watched her walk away, Logan started to feel a little sad--and that was the most confusing thing of all.

* * *

"Ooh, excellent question mate--Colin, why did she yell at you?" Finn queried. 

Colin looked at Logan's depressed face and muttered, "No reason."

"Come on Col, I really wanna know!!!" whined Finn.

"Finn! You have positively no tact! It's mind-boggling how oblivious you are!" yelled Colin.

"It's part of my charm."

Colin pinched the bridge of his nose, cast his eyes downward, and started breathing deeply just as his therapist had instructed him. Logan, however, was still staring in the direction in which Rory drove off.

"Hey Col?" he asked.

Colin looked up. "Yeah?"

"What did you guys argue about?"

"Ha!"yelled Finn. "See, he wants to know too! Who's tactless now?"

Colin decided to ignore Finn, knowing it would be better for his blood pressure in the long run.

"Logan, she was getting pretty drunk, like she said, it wasn't a big deal...don't worry about it." Colin was trying as best he could to keep his promise to Rory.

"Colin. You just had lunch with my ex-girlfriend behind my back. I trust that it was innocent, and I'm sorry I punched you...but don't think I won't do it again if you don't tell me everything you guys said that night."

Colin gulped.

"Well, when you put it like that..." he sighed. "Zack and Lane had just left the table to dance, and Rory muttered something about missing having someone to dance with. Then she specifically said that she didn't want just anybody, she wanted 'him,' whom I presume to be you."

Logan felt like he had been punched in the gut. Rory missed him?

"And then?" asked Finn.

"She asked how you were, and I said you were fine. She said that that was good, she wanted you to be fine, but what she really wanted was for you to be fine with her. Then, I did something very stupid, and told her that she really doesn't get to say that after she dumped you. And then Rory started yelling at me."

Finn looked confused. "She was mad at you for pointing out that she ended it?"

"Well, thats the thing." Colin looked directly at Logan when he said this. "Apparently, she's under the impression that Logan here did the dumping. As she emphatically stated, you walked away."

If Logan had been punched before, this news knocked him out. "She said _what_?"

"According to Rory, all she did was say no to your proposal. She wasn't ready. You ended the relationship after that." Colin's voice quieted. "Is she right?"

Colin and Finn both looked expectantly at Logan.

"I...well, technically, no. I told her I didn't want to move backwards."

"What in the bloody hell does that mean?" inquired Finn. He didn't like how this was sounding.

"It means...It means I didn't want to do long distance again." Logan said tentatively. "I told her that it was all or nothing."

"Great. Just great." said Colin. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Apparently, a drunken Rory was still more correct than a sober Logan. "Your dream girl isn't ready after she just graduated college to get married, so you pull an O-Town and tell her it's All or Nothing?"

"O-Town? Seriously? You're comparing my disastrous break-up to an O-Town song?" Logan questioned.

"Hey, your'e the one stealing their lyrics." added Finn.

Logan groaned. What the hell had become of his life?

"Seriously, man, what were you thinking? I know you wanted her to go with you...but don't you think it's unfair to ask her to pick up her life and go? Besides, even if you were going to stay here, she just wasn't ready." Colin stated.

"What do you mean?"

"During her drunken declaration, she told me that she wanted to live her life without help. I guess she wanted to...make it on her own." Colin paused for a second, trying to choose his words carefully. "She said that she wanted to get a job from her own merit, and not the name on her Driver's License."

Logan looked miserable. "Is she really that opposed to the idea of marriage to me?"

"No, no, it wasn't like that. She also said that she wanted it to be you who she came home every night to-she's only twenty-three, Logan. She's really just not...ready."

Logan looked up. "I should talk to her, shouldn't I?"

"Well, if you want her back, mate, that would be an excellent start." lectured Finn.

"Yeah. Yeah, that would be a good start." murmured Logan. He knew that he had screwed up his relationship with Rory badly, and it would take a whole lot of talking to fix it.

* * *

Rory woke up to the sound of her phone ringing the morning after visiting her mom. She glanced at the clock--9:43. She supposed it was about time she got up anyway. Rory reached over for her cell and checked the ID, it was Colin. Frowning slightly, she flipped open her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rory, it's Colin. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Oh, no, of course not." she lied.

"Anyway, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. Unfortunately, it seems as though we're fated to have bad meetings."

Rory laughed as she swung her legs out of bed and began walking toward her coffee-maker.

"Yes, I'd agree to that. But there's no need to apologize, if anything I should be telling you that I'm sorry. You're the one who got punched in the face."

"Hmm, good point. Apology accepted."

Rory laughed.

"Look, there's actually another reason I called you," Colin said. "I um, I kind of had to tell Logan the extent of our argument."

"Oh."said Rory, as her cheeks automatically reddened. "Well, sure, of course. I mean, I'm sure he wanted to know. Sure, that makes sense."

Colin chuckled to himself, Logan had been right when he told him so long ago about Rory's talent to ramble.

"..I mean, I guess it doesn't matter all that much, it's not like I'll be seeing him anytime soon, I'm sure he has to get back to California..." Rory continued, seeming unable to stop herself.

"Actually, Logan's moving to New York. His company's expanding, he was needed there." This was only a slight lie, Logan's company _was_ expanding, but he wasn't so much needed there as he had bribed the guy who had been moving to New York to let him take his place. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Oh. Wow. Good for him, it's good that the company's doing well." Rory's heart raced. Crazy thoughts began running through her head--_I could move to New York, I could quit this ridiculous fact checker job for another one in the city, I could run into him randomly, I could talk to him again, maybe ask him to dinner, if he wants to, I should make a pro-con--_

Rory's train of thought was suddenly cut off as Colin's voice came over the phone.

"Yeah, it is, really well. But Rory, after I told Logan about our argument," he hesitated, not wanting to scare her off, "He was really surprised."

Rory remained silent, not knowing what to say.

"Surprised about how you perceived the break up. I think, when you told him no, he was so crushed, anything else you said kind of went over his head and he took it the wrong way--he shouldn't have walked away."

Rory was confused. Was this Colin's opinion, or did Logan say this?

"Okay." Rory said in a very small voice. What else was she to say?

"I just thought you should know."

Know what, exactly? That Logan made a mistake? She already knew that--she was the one living with the consequences. As she thought about what it had done to her these past months, she began to get a little angry. Why wasn't Logan apologizing if he knew he made a mistake? Unless, of course, he was still being a stubborn ass and these were just Colin's sentiments--this whole conversation was too confusing.

"Colin, I'm going to need you to be a little more specific." Rory said in a strong voice, surprising herself.

"Uh, more specific? What do you mean?"

"Does Logan think that he shouldn't have walked away? Or is that just what you think?"

"That's, um, well, _I _think that, for sure, and Logan..."

"Yes?" prompted Rory.

"Look, you need to talk to him. I'm not going to play mediator to you guy's problems."

"Oh, so you have no problem telling him everything _I_ said, but I don't get to know what he thinks?" Rory felt bad the instant this left her mouth. It wasn't fair to place blame on Colin, he was stuck in the middle.

"I..."

"Forget about that, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it, I haven't had my coffee, and once again I'm yelling at you in place of someone else."

"Don't worry about it, this is a pretty frustrating situation."

"Mmmm." said Rory.

"But still...I think you guys should talk."

* * *

**Another chapter complete...**

**Review please, you know you want to. Extra points to anyone with criticisms/suggestions**


	6. Blond Knight and Saucy Aussie

As soon as she ended her conversation with Colin, Rory pressed speed dial 2 on her phone, and waited for the answer.

"Hello, sweet child o' mine."

"I am a big, fat, momma's girl. Huge."

"Now, that's not true," consoled Lorelai.

"Oh yeah?"

"Definitely. You are a small, slim momma's girl. That's way cooler, and you get to wear cuter clothes." Lorelai reasoned.

"Regardless of my physical size, I am still a giant momma's girl."

"How so?"

"Well, it was only yesterday that I came to you about Logan, and I am currently getting dressed so that I can go to my car, drive back to Star's Hollow, and hide under my blankets during which time you will feed me and rub my back."

"As long as you have a plan..."

"Ok, I'll see you soon."

"Wait! No details for momma? You're calling me to tell me nothing?"

"I gotta call Lane right now and tell her to come too, I'm gonna need back-up for this one. Don't worry, I'll fill you in when I get there." Rory was about to hang up when she heard her mother calling out.

"Wait! Pizza or Chinese?"

Rory mulled over her choices for a moment. "Indian."

"Aw, man." complained Lorelai. "This better be some serious problem. I'm going to have to burn down the house after this. Or use a ton of Febreeze. It won't work, anyway, and then I'll have to sue the company. Oooh, it could be a huge court drama, and when I win, I'll be a millionaire, and then-"

Rory hung up on Lorelai, knowing that her mother probably wouldn't realize for a few more minutes, and proceeded to call Lane.

* * *

Under an hour later, Rory arrived at her mother's house and was about to turn the doorknob when the door opened from the inside. 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the ungrateful daughter who hangs up on her one and only mother," said Lorelai rather snootily, and lifted her nose into the air.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Oh, heavens, please forgive me for the unjust action I committed, hanging up on my mother was cruel, ungrateful, and quite frankly, uncalled for."

"See, that's all I wanted," Lorelai smiled. "Don't you feel better?"

Rory had opened her mouth to respond when she heard Lane's voice calling to them from the living room.

"Hello!! I thought we were having some serious girl talk! I'm sitting in front of mounds of some of the foulest smelling food known to man over here!! According to Mrs. Kim, I'm going to be subjected to eternal damnation in hell just for letting these fumes waft near the _vicinity_ of my nose."

Rory walked past her mother and into the living room where she plopped down next to Lane.

"Well, at least you won't be going there by yourself."

"Oh yeah, what'd you do?" Lane asked.

"She hung up on _me_, the bearer of her life, can you believe it?" interjected Lorelai.

"Ah, yes, the fourth commandment; Honor Thy Father and Mother. Honestly Rory, haven't you learned anything from the time you've spent with Mrs. Kim?" questioned Lane.

"Must've slipped my mind." said Rory as she began to load food onto her plate. "Anyway, aren't we supposed to be discussing the train wreck that has become my life?"

"Right you are, daughter of mine," Lorelai stated theatrically. "Please, regale us with tales of your blond knight and his two sidekicks, the saucy Aussie and the level-headed Colin."

"Saucy Aussie?" Lane raised her eyebrows.

"Finn."said Rory, and Lane nodded in understanding. "But this story really only has Colin in it, although it does involve my 'blond knight,' as you called him."

Rory took a bite of her food, swallowed, and continued.

"So this morning, Colin called me to apologize for lunch yesterday. I told him not to worry, and that it totally wasn't his fault."

Lorelai and Lane looked on expectantly, waiting for the climax.

"Then Colin told me that he had to Logan why I got so upset in the restaurant when we were on that double blind date--basically, he told Logan that I missed him."

Lorelai took a sharp intake of breath. "That really sucks, but you know, Logan is his best friend. You really can't be mad at him for that."

"Oh no, I'm not mad about that, I understand--I'm embarrassed, sure, but I get it. I can't be angry at him for telling Logan the truth," Rory rationalized.

"Then where's the problem?" asked Lane.

"After he told me that," said Rory, "He also told me that...that when I told Logan I couldn't marry him, Logan was so upset and shocked that he didn't really listen to my reasoning. That everything I said went over Logan's head, and he shouldn't have walked away."

Both Lorelai and Lane were quiet for a moment, then Lorelai put down her fork.

"Ok...so, does that mean that _Colin_ thinks Logan was wrong, or did_ Logan_ say that he made a mistake?"

Rory threw up her hands in frustration. "That's what I wanted to know!!! But Colin wouldn't tell me--he said that I had to talk to Logan myself."

Lane looked confused. "Wait a minute, doesn't Logan work in California? Won't he be going back there soon? It seems like it would be a lot of trouble if you guys are still going to be living on opposite sides of the country."

"That's another thing, apparently Logan's transferring to New York." Rory said, and her mother couldn't help but notice the corners of Rory's mouth lift ever so slightly at this bit of information.

"Oh, so we like that the blond knight is returning to a forest nearby," Lorelai said loftily.

Rory narrowed her eyes at her mother while Lane giggled. "Oh come on. He's still like two hours away by car, and," her voice took on a more serious tone, "I don't know if I really still want him. I know I miss him, but--we've broken up so many times, and he left me. What am I supposed to do, leave behind everything, go to New York and beg Logan to take me back? How am I supposed to know how I feel?"

"Oh! I know!" squealed Lane. "I have a game."

Lorelai's eyes lit up. "I wanna play!!"

"This is kind of a two-person game, Rory would have to be the contestant." Lane explained as Lorelai pouted.

"Ok, Rory." Lane started. "I need you to clear your mind completely. Got it?"

"Uh huh."

"Alright, close your eyes. I'm going to give you two choices, and you have to pick one right away each time, no hesitating. Understand?"

"Mmhmm."

"Ok, remember, no hesitating, keep your eyes shut, go with your gut. Cheeseburger or salad?"

"Cheeseburger."

"Up or down?"

"Up."

"The Clash or The Ramones?"

"The Clash."

"The Donna Reed Show or I Love Lucy?"

"I Love Lucy."

"Half-Baked or Phish Food?"

"Half-Baked."

"New Haven or New York City?"

"New York City." Lorelai raised her eyebrows at this.

"Money or love?"

"Love."

"Logan or Stars Hollow?"

"Logan," answered Rory without missing a beat.

Her eyes flew open. "Oh my gosh."

Lorelai nodded appreciatively toward Lane. "That is quite the useful game."

Lane grinned. "Yeah, I saw it on Friends."

Lorelai grinned back. "Mrs. Kim would be so proud."

Rory looked between her mother and best friend, amazed at how easily distracted they were.

"Hello! I just had a major breakthrough and you two are discussing a game?"

"In all fairness, it's this game that gave you your breakthrough," pointed out Lorelai as Lane nodded.

"Forget the game!! What should I do?" Rory asked helplessly.

Lorelai's voice softened. "Honey, I think Colin was right before. You need to talk to Logan. Besides, I don't think Colin would tell you to call Logan if he didn't know that Logan missed you too."

Rory looked frustrated. "Then why doesn't he make Logan call _me_? Logan was always the one chasing me after we fought, why isn't he fighting now?"

"Rory, you rejected the guy's marriage proposal," said Lane. "I'm not saying that you should have said yes--you weren't ready. But that's pretty hard for a guy to come back from, especially one who's used to getting everything he wants."

"I guess." said Rory.

"Besides," said Lorelai, "Think how happy your grandparents would be, and how much his parents would hate it."

Lorelai grinned while Rory glared at her.

* * *

Rory swallowed deeply as she held the cordless phone in her hand and paced around her apartment. While her conversation with Lane and Lorelai had been helpful in sorting out her feelings, it sure didn't make what she had to do any easier. She took a long drink of her coffee and another deep breath, and quickly dialed Logan's number. 

Now all she had to do was wait for him to pick up, and figure out what to say from there.

* * *

**another chapter for you all to read and review, tell me what you think please.**

**i own nothing.**


	7. Early and with Note Cards

Logan opened one eye as the theme song from The Office played merrily from his phone. Obviously it must be malfunctioning--Rory had programmed that in as her personal ringtone almost a year ago, claiming that surrounding him by subtle reminders of The Office would make him enjoy it.

Logan stretched his right arm over his head to the end table next to his sofa and groped around for his phone. He reached it and looked at the display in disbelief--there, clear as day, the name "Ace" flashed on the screen. Logan scrambed to flip open his phone and press the 'Accept Call' button.

"Hello?" he asked breathlessly.

Silence.

"Hello?" Logan repeated.

"Logan! Hi." Rory managed to choke out.

"Hey."

"So, I, um, I heard you were moving to New York," Rory started lamely. She could have smacked herself--no wonder she couldn't find a good reporting job.

"You heard correctly. I'll be there permanently next week."

"Next week. Wow. Soon." She really had to work on utilizing that big vocabulary of hers.

"Yeah, it is soon." Logan decided to cut to the chase. "Rory, something tells me that you didn't call to confirm my move to New York."

Rory winced. Logan never was one to beat around the bush, small talk just didn't seem to be in his DNA.

"No, not really." Rory took a deep breath. "I think we need to have a real talk. Things ended between us so suddenly, so quickly--we were together for two and a half years, and then I go from talking to you daily to not seeing you for seven months." Rory bit her lip, stopping herself from saying that she missed him, and waited for him to respond.

He didn't.

"Besides, I'd bet that Colin is getting tired of playing Hermes." Rory tried, wanting to lighten the mood a little.

Logan shook his head; only Rory would use Greek mythology in everyday conversation.

"Yeah, those winged shoes of his are probably worn out." He gave in. "When do you want to meet?"

"Oh, you should pick, it sounds like your schedule is much busier than mine these days."

Logan tried to think clearly, he was in New Haven for another two days, then out to California for a few days to pack his things and go to closing on the house, and after that he would be back in New York for good.

"How's Monday?"

"Tomorrow?" asked Rory.

"Yeah."

"Ok," said Rory. She could be ready by tomorrow. "Do you have a place in mind?"

"You know Rich Man's Shoe?" he joked.

"Yeah, I think I've been there once or twice." Rory smiled. "Two o'clock?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

"Bye." said Rory, and she hung up the phone. Overall, that hadn't been too horrible. Now she just had to figure out how to tell Logan that she wanted to get back together with him--and she had less than nineteen hours to do it.

* * *

Logan rolled his head around to crack his neck as he stepped out of his Porsche. It was 1:40, he had arrived twenty minutes early so that he could get a drink in his system before Rory arrived. He had no idea what to expect from this meeting, but he figured it wouldn't hurt if he had a small buzz going. 

Logan walked through the doors of the pub and was completely shocked to see Rory already sitting there. She didn't see him, she was completely engrossed in something in her hands. Logan took this opportunity to take in her appearance, he knew he probably wouldn't have the chance later.

Rory was fidgeting in her seat as she sat in a deep green wrap dress with soft leather boots. Her hair curled softly, framing her face as she looked downwards. Logan took a deep gulp as he walked over--this was going to be harder than he thought.

As he sauntered over to her table, his attention focused on what she was holding. Were those--no, they couldn't be. But they were. Only his Ace...

"Really, Rory, I don't think _note cards_ are going to get you an extra five points on the quiz today." Logan said while stifling a laugh--he just couldn't help himself, she was adorable.

Rory flushed as she hastily shoved the index cards in her purse. "I didn't think you'd be here this early." She defended herself. "I still had twenty minutes."

"Yeah, well." Logan slid in the booth in the seat across from her. "I'm nothing if not punctual."

Rory raised her eyebrow. "Punctual is coming at the aforementioned time. Being obnoxiously early is my thing."

"Yes, early and with _note cards_." Logan grinned. It was too much fun to let go.

Rory glared back at him, but was saved from having to come up with a retort when the waitress approached and asked what they'd like to drink.

"Coffee is fine." Rory replied.

The waitress nodded and glanced at Logan.

_"Oh, what the hell_." Logan thought to himself. "I'll have a scotch."

Rory bit her lip, drinking Logan was not always the most receptive.

They were both quiet for a few moments, until the waitress came back with their drinks, and then they relapsed into another silence.

"So," began Logan. "You initiated this...meeting."

"Yes. Yes I did." Rory nodded. "Look, what I'm about to say is going to be really hard and awkward, so I need you to be patient with me, and not interrupt, ok?"

Logan nodded. It looked like the scotch was a good idea.

"Ok." Rory breathed in deeply. "When you asked me to marry you, I did say no. But the last thing I wanted was for us to be over. I wasn't ready to be married. I wasn't ready to pick up and move to California. You got to find out exactly what you wanted to do and go for it. And when I was trying to decide what to do with my life, you asked me to leave you out of it--and that only made me love you more, because you wanted me to do what suited _me_ best. But then, weeks later you asked me to go across the country with you. Then, you had me choose between you and my home- it was you versus here, you versus my mom, you versus Stars Hollow, you versus the whole east coast--and that wasn't fair Logan." Rory's eyes were welling with tears. "I didn't want to choose. I wanted both. I want you and I want everything that my home has to offer."

Logan's eyes widened. _"I want you."_ Present tense. She still wanted him.

Rory continued with her small speech. "I tried living away from home for a while, and I hated it. I was on a campaign trail following Obama, I don't know if you knew that, but I couldn't stand it. I need to be able to come home to my mom every once in a while. I need to come back in time for the Bid-A-Basket and whatever other nonsense Taylor dreams up. But on the nights that I'm not going home to Stars Hollow, I want to go home to you."

Rory looked up. There, she had said it. Now he knew.

Logan couldn't believe this. Colin had said that she missed him, but what she just said made it sound like she wanted to get back together. For once in his life, the straight-forward, blunt, outspoken Logan was completely at a loss for what to do next. He wanted to comfort her, kiss her, argue back and defend himself all at once. Unable to pick one, he just stared at her.

Rory quickly became uncomfortable in the silence, and felt her cheeks redden. Apparently Colin telling her to talk to Logan didn't mean that he felt the same way.

"Well, I have officially and thoroughly made a fool out of myself, I'll just be going, I'm sure you have something better to do than this." Rory wiped her eyes and moved to get up. "Thanks for seeing me."

Rory stood and walked out of the pub, trying her best to hold herself together at least until she got to her car. No one could say she didn't try--she was honest with Logan, and if he didn't want her anymore, she had to understand that, and move on. Rory had only gotten about twenty feet down the sidewalk before she heard her name.

* * *

Logan sat dumbfounded in the booth. _She wants me back. Rory wants me back. Rory Gilmore wants to come home to **me.**_

Suddenly, Logan saw Rory getting up, and the words she had just said floated into his mind. He quickly realized that Rory was getting the hell out of there because he wasn't talking back. He cursed as he watched her leave the building, and rushed to follow her out.

Logan pushed open the door and looked around for Rory. There she was, a mere twenty feet down the street, and he knew he had never wanted anything more.

He began to run after her, and called her name.

"Rory!"

She turned around, confused.

Logan stood in front of her, placed his hands on her waist and looked directly in her eyes.

"I want you to come home to me too." Logan said.

And then he kissed her.

* * *

**I'm unbelievably corny. I don't even know how to write it in a non-corny way. maybe the chasing is a little much.**

**but i kind of love it anyway. the way i see it, logan fights for what he wants, and he's really not afraid to say what he wants either. he did it when rory tried to end their casual dating, and again after the jess thing, and when rory tried to move out after the bridesmaid thing, so this really isn't all that out of character for him.**

**or at least that's what i keep telling myself.**

**review please!!!**


	8. Happier than Santa On Prozac

Rory was happier than she had been in an extremely long time. To be truthful, she was positively ecstatic. This was better than any handmade bracelet, Distillers ticket, or Birkin bag.

The feeling of pure joy running through her as Logan's lips melded with hers seemed impossible to top, especially since this kiss was so much more than just a kiss. This was her getting back Logan--this meant that he wanted her too, and that knowledge made Rory feel like she could conquer anything.

Logan gently broke the kiss with Rory, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Maybe we should head back in? You know, sit down, discuss this, pay the tab?" Rory grinned.

"As usual, Ace, that's a good idea." Logan said, and led her back in. This time, he followed her into her side of the booth and kept his fingers knitted together with hers.

"So..." started Logan. Even though he knew that they still had a lot to work out, he couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well," Rory peered up at him. "You're going back to California when, the day after tomorrow? And then you'll be back in New York soon after?"

Logan nodded.

"Then...I guess I should start looking for jobs in New York." she said as though it was the next logical step.

Logan's head naturally leaned forward as he looked in her eyes to see if she was kidding. She certainly seemed serious enough.

"Rory, I can't ask you to move to New York, we're just beginning again, and I-"

"But you didn't ask," Rory interrupted. "And we are just beginning again, and I don't want to do that over a phone. We need to be close--so much closer than New Haven and New York. I'm thinking like Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue."

"Rory, you have no idea how fantastic that sounds, but are you sure? I don't want you to move your whole life and sacrifice so much so soon." This time, Logan had really listened to what she had to say, and realized just how unfair it had been to ask her to change everything back in May--and he certainly didn't want her to do it now.

But Rory just smiled and shook her head. "Really, Logan, what am I sacrificing? The fact-checking job I hate? My small, crappy apartment? I already live an hour away from my mother and Stars Hollow--what's a couple more?"

Logan still looked unsure.

"As embarrassing as it is to admit," Rory continued, "I haven't really been living my life since--you know. My heart just hasn't been in it." Rory's voice became softer. "I'm not leaving behind anything. I'm going toward something that I've been missing for much too long."

Logan's heart was swelling as Rory spoke to him, and for lack of words, he leaned down and gave her a short, sweet kiss.

"Okay then. You've convinced me. I just have one more issue."

Rory's eyes became confused.

"What?"

"I think that Fifth and Sixth Avenue are a bit too far apart. Besides, my apartment's on Seventh."

Rory rolled her eyes. "So what, you want me across the street?" Her eyes shone as her mother's wit consumed her. "I knew it--you've always wanted to string two cups together and use them as a phone."

Logan laughed out loud at her. "As fun as you make that sound, I was actually thinking even closer."

Rory bit her lip as she saw where this was heading. "So...you want to pull a Ross and Rachel and live across the hall from each other?" she asked, wanting to make sure she wasn't jumping to conclusions.

Logan shook his head. "Nope, but you're getting warmer."

"Well, I don't see how we can get any closer without sharing the same apartment."

Logan's smile was full and wide. "Now, there's an idea. As long as you're moving to New York, I don't see why not. Really, it's the most fiscally responsible option."

Rory shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "You're the business man."

Logan was shocked. That had been way too easy. He assumed that there would be much more swindling involved in getting her to agree to this.

"Are you saying yes?"

"Hey, you know me, being fiscally responsible is my number one priority." Rory smiled at him. "Besides, I think the perks are enough to keep me satisfied."

Logan raised his eyebrows and smirked in the way that Rory was so familiar with. His voice was a tad more low and sultry when he whispered in her ear, "And what kinds of perks did you have in mind?"

Rory was amazed at her ability to keep her cool when he spoke to her in that way. "Oh, you know...classy apartment, Egyptian cotton sheets, excellent coffee, and breakfast in bed...among other things," she said.

"Other things in the bed?" Logan asked.

"That," said Rory, "We will discuss later." She slid out of the booth. "I need to get into work soon--put in my two weeks notice. I'll see you later?"

"Definitely."

"Ok then, bye," Rory said sweetly, and pecked him on the lips. She had just turned around to leave when she felt Logan's strong arm pulling her back right into his lap.

"If you thought that kiss would last until later, you were sadly mistaken," Logan told her, and pulled her close to him as he began to suck on her lower lip. Rory was quick to catch up, and soon they were reaching a state that was a little indecent for a public place.

Rory pulled away and took a peek at her watch. "Logan, I really have to go."

He sighed. "Ok then. I'll call you tonight?"

"Definitely."

* * *

Colin jumped in his seat when he heard his front door slam, effectively spilling his drink all over himself. 

"What the--dude, haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Colin asked.

"Sorry man," said Logan, but he certainly didn't look apologetic. In fact, he was positively gleeful. Colin raised his eyebrows as he watched Logan practically skip over to the refrigerator.

"So...what's new?" Colin probed.

"What makes you think something's new?" Logan grinned.

"Well for starters, you're obnoxiously happy. Are you on Prozac?"

Logan laughed heartily. "What, you think it's chemically impossible for me to be this happy on my own?"

"Well, yeah. You've been depressed for months, ever since--Oh shit." Colin said with a touch of awe.

Logan smiled expectantly, waiting for Colin to piece it together.

"You did it, didn't you? You guys finally did it?"

Logan toyed with the idea of feigning ignorance, but decided against it.

"Well, I guess I'd have to say that _she_ did it..."

Colin jumped out of seat and hugged Logan. "Oh, thank God! You have no idea how much it sucked being friends with you these past months. I have to call Finn."

While Colin made his way over to the phone, Logan tried to decided whether or not he should take offense to that last comment. He figured it would be easier to just let it go, why spoil such a wonderful mood?

"Finn? It's Colin. I have awesome news."

Logan rolled his eyes. Sure, it was great to have supportive friends, but Colin was a bit _too_ excited about this. "Actually, Colin, I have the news, seeing as _I'm_ the one who reconciled with Rory."

Colin shushed him. "It finally happened. They're back together!" Logan could hear Finn's slightly drunken cheers on the other end of the phone.

"Ok man. I'll talk to you later." Colin hung up the phone.

"You guys really need to get a life," said Logan, chuckling. "I mean, I'm happy that you're happy for me, but don't you think this is a little extreme?"

Colin looked seriously at Logan. "Do you really think you put on that good of an act?"

Logan became serious as well. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on." Colin sounded exasperated. "You were miserable without her, and you've been bringing us down as well. How you managed to do that from across the country is beyond me, but then again, you are a Huntzberger."

Logan was shocked. Sure, he had been unhappy since May, but he didn't think it was obvious enough that his friends noticed it, especially over the phone. _Was I really that depressed?_

"It was really that bad?" Logan asked, all traces of his jovial disposition gone.

"Oh, no." Colin lied. He hadn't meant to bring Logan down again. "Haven't you ever heard of a hyperbole? I was just exaggerating."

Logan put his head down and ran his hand through his hair. He had known Colin long enough to know when he was pacifying him.

"Ok, well, I should get going, start packing for California."

"You want any help?"

"Nah, I got it. I'll see you later." Logan turned to leave.

"Look, just so you know--it doesn't matter what life was like without Rory, because now you got her again, and you're happier than Santa. On Prozac. Just don't let her go, especially since you've realized how much it sucks to be without her."

Logan gave Colin a small smile and left. For a guy who had a dozen or so stepmothers, Colin was an emotional genius.

* * *

Rory whistled as she taped another box shut. She had done everything difficult, and in less than a week--she had quit her job, applied for several new ones in Manhattan, was currently packing up her things, and had even told her mother that she was moving to New York. Lorelai hadn't exactly been thrilled, but she was supportive. It was hard not to be when Rory's voice was so jubilant again. 

Now she only had to wait until the next morning when Logan would be back and all her things would be moved to their New York apartment. She got giddy just thinking about it.

Rory had been busy daydreaming about her new life with Logan when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it with a dreamy smile on her face, only to see Lane standing there with a large paper bag.

"Lane!! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, come on! What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't come over to help commemorate your last night in your first real apartment?"

Rory smiled at her friend's thoughtfulness. "You know, I didn't really think about that. I've been so wrapped up in thinking about everything that was going to happen that it never crossed my mind."

Lane walked into the kitchen and set down the bag. Out of it she pulled a bottle of wine, two pints of Ben and Jerry's, a mixed CD and a copy of_ Hard Bodies. _

Rory laughed. "Lane, this is so great. Did you choose any of this as a theme for tonight, or...?"

"Actually, no. I couldn't think of any good incidents that happened here off the top of my head, so I just picked out some stuff and came."

"Oh, that's cool. I'm sure we'll think of some good memories."

"Of course we will. You've lived here for almost six months," reasoned Lane.

"So, let's commemorate...um...shoot," said Rory. There had to be something...

"Oh! Didn't you once--wait, never mind, that was when you were at Yale."

They were both quiet for a few moments.

Rory was appalled at herself. How did she have no good memories in this apartment, her home for the better part of the last six months_? Was I really that miserable_?

"So," said Lane. "I'm thinking we convert this into a going away party instead of a commemorative one."

"Yeah, I guess we should," said Rory, still in disbelief.

"Hey, come on. You should be happy tonight. Tomorrow, I'm sure you will already be creating memories with Logan in that apartment."

Rory grinned.

"Dirty."

* * *

"Ace?" Logan walked through the door of his new apartment, and set down some bags. He and Rory had been unpacking all day, but they were nowhere near finished. Rory had decided that nourishment was necessary, and sent him out. "I found this great Chinese place, and I ordered a little of everything so we could pick our favorites, I hope you're--" 

Logan was cut off by Rory, or her mouth to be more precise. He groaned slightly as her hands roamed his body and then settled in his hair, pulling him closer. After a few more moments, Rory pulled away with a satisfied look on her face.

"...hungry." Logan finished. "Can we please make it a tradition that we greet each other like that every time we come home?" Logan couldn't believe he had spent any time without the ability to do that.

"I think it could be arranged." Rory took Logan's hand and sat him on their couch. "Ok, onto something more serious."

"More serious than our greetings, Ace? Really, what could be more-?"

This time Rory silenced Logan with her hand. "I mean it."

Logan nodded wordlessly, willing to let her have her way.

"Okay." Rory dropped her hand from Logan's mouth, but held one of Logan's hands instead. "Obviously, there's still stuff that we need to work out. There is no denying that I love you and want this to work, but it's not going to be like it used to be. We can't expect it to be. I don't know if living together is the best idea, but I want to do it anyway. That's going to make this harder than if we had our own places; but I think we can do it." Rory looked right into his eyes. "I want to do it."

Logan looked right back at her. "I want to do this too. So much. I know it's going to be hard to get back to where we were, but that's the goal. And you love having goals."

Rory grinned at him, and then he continued. "Rory, today I realized just how much my life sucked without you there. I don't want to do that again."

She settled herself into Logan's side. "I know exactly what you mean."

* * *

**Ok, I'm in a bit of a stickety-wicket (i love that phrase!). I have another chapter or two framed in my head, but it's kinda fluffy. If I'm going to continue this further, I need to throw in a new conflict. There's some stuff knocking around in my head, but I'd love suggestions. **

**Review! Now! Andale!**

**(and i unfortunately own nothing, in case that wasn't clear.)**


	9. Winnie the Pooh and Al Gore

**

* * *

**

Two Months Later

Rory stood in front of her apartment door, juggling shopping bags and coffee with her purse in attempt to find her key. Eventually she fished it out and opened the door.

Somehow, on every surface in the apartment, newspapers were piled high. The dining room table, counters, coffee tables, sofa, and even bathtub were laden with copies of today's issue of the New York Post. Everywhere she looked, her very first front page article was there. _How the hell does he do this?_ Rory grinned and whipped out her cell phone, holding down the number two.

"Hello?" Logan feigned ignorance, but Rory could hear the slight anticipation in his voice.

"You, my good sir, are personally responisble for the slaughter of perhaps the entire Hundred Acre Woods. And I love you for it." Rory said into her phone.

"Just don't tell Winnie the Pooh or Al Gore and I think we're in the clear," Logan responded with a smile in his voice.

Rory laughed out loud, if there ever was a male counter-part to her mother's quick thinking it was certainly in Logan.

"Seriously, Logan, I don't know how you do this. It's amazing, thank you."

"You, Rory, are the amazing one. Front page? And only two months in? I think we should expect your first Pulitzer within the next what, six months, and then you can call it quits and retire early."

Rory blushed, "Oh stop it. It was more the event than my writing anyway."

"Even if that's true Ace, the editor knew it was a front page event and he gave it to you. That's really impressive."

"Alright, alright. So what am I supposed to do with like 200,000 newspapers?" Logan laughed at her exaggeration.

"Actually, there's 623 newspapers."

"Am I correct to assume that that number is significant?" Rory asked.

"Yes, you are. Happy hunting." Logan replied.

"What?" Rory's confusion was evident.

"Oh, have I not properly explained myself?" Logan asked in mock surprise.

"No, I don't believe you have. Care to expand on those thoughts?"

"Certainly. You see, one of those newspapers has a special surprise. Good luck finding it."

"Logan!!" Rory yelled into the phone. "Are you telling me that there is a surprise in _one_ newspaper out of the 623 scattered around this apartment?"

"Yes."

"And I have no way of knowing which one it is, or where to look inside said newspaper?"

"Correct again, Miss Gilmore." He laughed as he heard her grumbling under her breath. "If it makes you feel any better, I've enlisted in help for your search."

"Oh yeah? Who are you sending, my mother?"

"You, my lovely Ace, are certainly on a role today. Have fun!" And with that, Logan hung up the phone.

Rory just stood there dumbfounded, her mouth hanging wide open.

"Looking to catch bugs, kid?" Lorelai asked.

"Where did you come from?" asked Rory looking around the apartment. She wanted a place to sit down, but unfortunately all the chairs were covered with newspapers. _Stupid Logan._

"Well, if you want the whole story, Rory, when a man and a woman really like each other, they-"

"MOM!"

"Fine, I let myself in just when you were telling Logan how much you _loooooved_ him for doing this. It was very entertaining to watch you go from all mushy to all annoyed, by the way."

"Yeah, yeah. You would do the same." Rory looked around the apartment again, still having trouble comprehending everything. "So, what, did you know about this?"

Lorelai bobbed her head up and down as she grinned stupidly.

"And you think it's a good idea?"

Lorelai continued to bob her head.

"And would you have any idea why 623 is significant?"

Her mother nodded.

"Do you want to tell me?" Rory coaxed.

This time Lorelai shook her head back and forth.

"What if I get some Starbucks?"

Lorelai pretended to think about it, and then bobbed her head again. Rory laughed and dragged her mother out the door.

* * *

Three hours later, Rory and Lorelai were sitting in the floor of her apartment flipping through newspapers. Apparently, there was some secret message hidden on page 6, line 23, but that was all Lorelai knew.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid Logan. This is not funny," grumbled Rory.

"Oh come on, kid, I'm sure the surprise will be worth it," Lorelai said, casually flipping through the Leisure and Arts Section of one of the papers.

"Mom!! You're supposed to be looking! And why are you so calm, anyway? Normally you would be even more jumpy than I--" Rory stopped in the middle of her sentence and openly stared at her mother. "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?" Lorelai was doing her best to feign ignorance, but the corners of her mouth were twitching.

"I can't believe it!! We've been sitting here for three hours, and you've known what the surprise will be the entire time! And you've been just sitting there, reading that paper for the last half hour..." Rory's voice trailed off, and then she said with a tinge of awe, "Oh, I can't believe you."

"Believe what?" This time, Lorelai was grinning widely.

"That's the one! You've been holding the paper with the secret message for the last thirty minutes while I must have flipped through 50 papers for no apparent reason! Mean! You are very mean!" And with that declaration, Rory snatched the paper out of her mother's hands and expertly flipped to the exact page she needed, then scanned down to line 23.

_Rory, I love you. I love you more than any man could possibly fathom. And_ _I could promise to hold you, and to cherish you. I could promise to be there, in sickness and in health. I could say till death do us part. But I won't. Those vows are for optimistic couples, the ones full of hope. I am neither. I am not optimistic. I am not hopeful. I am sure. I am steady. I'm a man completely and fully in love, with you. So this, I am sure. You are my partner. My lover. My very best friend. My heart. My heart beats for you. And on this day, the day I choose to propose, I promise you this. I promise you to lay my heart in the palm of your hands, I promise you... me. Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, will you marry me?_

Tears streamed down Rory's face, making little rivulets. She looked up, and there was Logan, standing in the doorway. Lorelai had disappeared into another room, almost magically.

"Rory," Logan walked towards her and went down on one knee, holding out a ring. "Please say yes."

"How did you...how..." Rory sniffled as Logan wiped her tears away. "How are you so wonderful?"

Logan shrugged. "Beats me."

Rory laughed through her tears and hit him on the shoulder. "Yes," she whispered.

"Yes?" Logan looked up, almost unbelieving.

Rory nodded as she kissed him. The moment was indescribable, the kiss was perfect.

She could be happy.

* * *

**That's it!! I know i took forever to do this last chapter, and it's short...but i like it. i totally stole logan's proposal (at least the words) from grey's anatomy. (i just love that scene so much.) please make me happy and let me know what you thought...**

**i own zilch.**


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